Police: Winooski man was drunk, operating stolen car
A Winooski man is in custody after police say he was traveling in a stolen car in the wrong lane heading directly at a police cruiser.
On August 29 at 7 pm, the Burlington Dispatch Center received a call from a citizen reporting their vehicle had been stolen from the area of Cherry St and Church St. Officers responded to the scene, spoke to the owner, obtained a statement, and collected additional evidence in the area.
At about 9:44 pm, a BPD officer traveling on Park Street noticed a vehicle traveling south in the northbound lane coming at the Officer’s marked police cruiser. The vehicle quickly swerved back into the correct lane and then pulled into a parking lot of Simon’s Gas Station.
The officer immediately recognized the vehicle as the vehicle previously reported stolen a few hours ago. Officers made contact with the operator who was identified as Abdifatah Sheikh-Bile, 29, of Winooski. Sheikh-Bile was taken into custody for Operating without Consent of Owner.
The officer detected an odor of alcohol beverages on Sheikh-Bile. Sheikh-Bile had two active sets of court conditions of release to include a 24 hour curfew, not to buy or consume alcohol, and not to drive a motor vehicle. He was lodged on $5000 bail at Northwest Correctional Facility and was scheduled to appear in court this morning.
Police say a review of Sheikh-Bile’s criminal history revealed he has 4 felony convictions, 19 misdemeanor convictions, 3 assaultive convictions, 1 assault on police officer charge, 1 escape charge, 10 violation of probation and parole charges, 1 violation of Court Order/Conditions conviction, and 1 failure to appear for court proceedings. Since January 2022, Sheikh-Bile has had 12 law enforcement encounters. Source: Burlington Police Department August 30 release